More than 18,000 students will take classes this fall at Southwestern College campuses throughout South San Diego County
CHULA VISTA, California – This week, Southwestern College is welcoming more than 18,000 students to its campuses throughout South San Diego County. They will fill nearly 2,000 course sections at the main campus and the Higher Education Centers in National City, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro as well as the Crown Cove Aquatic Center.
As students begin their semester, they’ll immediately notice significant progress to Proposition R projects at the main campus and at National City. In Chula Vista, the old 1000 building has been demolished to make way for the college’s new state-of-the-art Math, Science and Engineering Building. The foundation of the new Wellness and Aquatic Complex is complete and its new walls are helping this facility take shape on the corner of H Street and Otay Lakes Road. Concrete for the new building at the Higher Education Center in National City also has been poured and laid.
Many students will begin their pathway to transfer to a California State University (CSU) by receiving an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT). Students can choose from 23 different majors at Southwestern College that will give them guaranteed admissions to a CSU. This summer the Campaign for College Opportunity named Southwestern College one of California’s Top Ten High Performing Colleges for the significant increase in the number of students earning ADTs.
“Whether you want to earn an associate’s degree and transfer or want to improve your job skills, we are the college of opportunity,” said Robert Deegan, interim superintendent/president.
New students this fall will include inmates taking general education classes toward an ADT at Donovan Correctional Facility through the Inmate Education Program. Twenty of those students will receive federal financial aid as part of the national Second Chance Pell Pilot Program. Southwestern College is only one of four community colleges in California offering inmates the federal Pell grant, which will help them purchase textbooks for their classes.
Before students walk onto campus, they have the option of exploring all of Southwestern College from anywhere in the world with a new campus virtual tour. The tour offers 360-degree panoramas that takes the user through the main campus, the Higher Education Centers in National City, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro, as well as the Crown Cove Aquatic Center.
“There are many exciting educational programs and initiatives to support our ‘Students First’ mission,” said Governing Board President Nora E. Vargas. “It’s a great time to be a Jaguar.”
When the fall semester is over, students will have a chance to get ahead or catch up on their requirements during Southwestern College’s winter session. This compressed, month-long session from January 3 – 26 gives students a chance to take classes during their winter break between the fall and spring semesters.
